Marcin Gortat may have played with the Wizards for five seasons, but the Polish big man didn’t leave the franchise on the greatest of terms. His general unhappiness with Washington and the franchise wasn’t much of a secret during his final season there.
He and star point guard John Wall would occasionally take public shots at each other and, as the season went on, it became clear that Gortat had to be moved.
Gortat was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s apparently happier there, and the Clips are happy to have him, but he still holds a little bit of resentment towards the Wizards. Not for being traded, but because of how the trade was treated. According to Gortat, the Wizards treated the trade like he was a locker room cancer bringing the entire team down.
Via NBC Sports Washington.
“Listen, the way I was traded out of that team, it looked like I was the cancer of the locker room,” Gortat told NBC Sports Washington. “I think that thing was verified and it was complete [expletive]. It is what it is now.”
Gortat obviously did have an issue with some of his teammates, or maybe it was just Wall, but his frustration at being treated like the main cancer of the team is justified. Just look at how the Wizards are playing this season without him. Not only have they looked like a worse basketball team, but the off-court drama has swelled up even further.
Players are cursing at Scott Brooks and the front office is looking at a potential firesale. It’s a disaster in Washington.
Meanwhile, Gortat is just over in Los Angeles doing his thing. He’s averaging a solid five points and four rebounds while playing 17 minutes per game. The Clippers are 11-6 and sitting pretty in the West. It looks like Gortat was one of the lucky ones who got out before everything hit the fan in D.C.
